Group to tutor homeless kids in Weymouth, Randolph

WEYMOUTH – A cramped motel room with multiple family members isn’t the ideal place to learn to spell, tackle algebra homework or study for that big history test.

But the Super 8 motel on Route 53 is where 62 children between the ages of 5 and 18 have been coming home to after school as part of a state program that houses thousands of homeless families in hotels and motels because traditional shelter beds aren’t available.

Now a Brockton-based non-profit wants to help make getting through school a little easier for kids facing the instability of not having a permanent home.

School on Wheels of Massachusetts, started by Easton resident Cheryl Opper in 2004, will begin tutoring kids at the motel two days a week starting this fall. It’s also rolling out a tutoring and mentoring program for homeless kids in the Randolph schools that will be incorporated into the school day.

The Randolph program is being underwritten by Randolph Savings Bank and will be housed at the Randolph Community Middle School.

Robin Gilbert, the organization’s operations director, said School on Wheels had been aware of the families at the Super 8 through its work with Friends of the Homeless, which operates shelters in Weymouth and Norwell.

“They’ve been down there for a lot of years with not many services,” Gilbert said. “It’s tough in the hotels. You can have a family with four kids in one room.”

School on Wheels also offers tutoring in Brockton, New Bedford, Norwell and Stoughton. It’s planning to expand to two new sites in Brockton this fall, as well. Its programs offer homework help and other academic support for kids in kindergarten through high school.

The organization will also provide backpacks full of new books, crayons, rulers and other school supplies to each homeless student at the Super 8 and about 75 homeless students in Randolph.

“They’re fully stocked, everything’s new and they are thrilled to get them,” Gilbert said. “We want them to have everything their classmates have.”

Extra help provided by programs like the ones offered by School on Wheels can make a world of difference for homeless kids trying to keep up in school, said Robyn Frost, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

“To have volunteers come in and give attention to a child is huge in an academic learning situation,” she said.

To keep up with the new programs, School on Wheels is recruiting volunteer tutors and mentors. More information is available at www.sowma.org.

Christian Schiavone may be reached at cschiavone@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @CSchiavo_Ledger.